Music Bloodline

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Los Angeles hip-hop troupe of Samoan descent, big in the 1990s, known for its funky beats and hardcore delivery.

Biography

While often first remembered for its oversized image (the Los Angeles band of Samoan descent boasted memorable locks and at least one sumo wrestler among its ranks), the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. were one of the leading exponents of West Coast Rap from its earliest days. The six Deveaux brothers acted as a true collective, trading street stories culled from the siblings' earlier days roaming the streets as part of the Bloods gang in Compton. While the beats on the 1990 debut, NEW FUNK NATION, were standard P-Funk, they were enveloping and catchy and hardly paled next to those of top Angelinos such as Dr. Dre. The Tribe, while never quite matching its stellar debut, continued to create engrossing hip-hop for decades.